Single Coil vs Humbucker Pickup Tone Comparison

[@Lisa-ec9qb]

Some people may get antsy and just want you to get to the 'comparison'... but I am so glad you go through the 'why's' and 'how's' of what you are comparing. You really are a wealth of information ...especially for those of us who haven't learned it all yet. Thanks

[@keefahood9795]

Totally agree.

[@melodica5407]

Nope. Actually not some but most people would go "STFU and play!"

[@nostalgiafactor733]

@@melodica5407 and that's why you'll never be good

[@melodica5407]

@@nostalgiafactor733 Because i'm not supposed to live up to your expectation

[@Aloysius2113]

i've been playing guitar for 17 years yet never realized that the neck pickup sounds warmer and bassier because the strings are less taut there. awesome info.

[@harveyroper5526]

I find that CLEAN the single coil has so much more character to is whereas the humbucker is muddy and flat. In a high gain setting however i find the humbucker can soar above the single coil

[@tash5540]

Ikr. I honestly miss playing a starter strat. I play a humbucker telecaster now and strayed away from distortion, now I find my guitar tone to be boring and weak sounding, but I'm just going to get thicker strings to see if that makes it sound fuller.

[@kamaltamang8389]

Absolutely

[@sethbishop6890]

@@tash5540 did thicker strings make the difference? I've been thinking about getting heavier strings so that I'll have a wound g-string (not the underwear obviously) because the g sounds so flat on my electric

[@sethbishop6890]

Like when I do the solo from wish you were here, the G is so bad compared to even a $60 acoustic guitar

[@reitzespan5762]

I like the humbucker both on gain and clean the best

[@DSloot]

If you play rock or metal, humbuckers are the way to go. If you play jazz, funk or if you are John Frusciante single coils are the way to go. If you play punk it doesn't even matter just bash those chords as hard as you can.

[@Ernest-From-England]

I have a semi acoustic archtop guitar and I find that they are perfect for jazz and vintage. It also uses humbucker

[@DSloot]

@@Ernest-From-England You can use everything you want ofcourse, it all depends on what you prefer.

[@JoostArchives]

I think single coils are actually very capable of holding their own in rock, listen to jimi hendrix for example.

[@orchidmalevolence9726]

I have single coils and what I do is murder the strings and turn up the distortion pedal

[@mixalisgaming2246]

man punk is very hard ok? And yeah im john so i guess ill get single coild whatever i play XD

[@keanurodriguez6635]

Probably the most straight forward and clear video about musical equipment I've seen on the internet.

[@AlamoMusic]

Thanks!

[@Archergod]

Comparision starts at 8:52...

[@brockbrocker8870]

savior!

[@StratMatt777]

Thank you!!!!!!

[@aaronanimatessorta.3676]

Thanks

[@tuckerlane7995]

Comparison starts at 0:00

[@JEST3R_]

Thanks

[@jamiej14544]

If you play guitar for any length of time, you will own them all! I've owned two Teles, three Strats, one Les Paul, and one SG over the years. They're all great but they have different tones. It depends on what kind of music you want to play and how you want to sound. On the other hand, you can play any style of music on any guitar you choose to play.

[@nobodys.shapeshifter]

A lot of shootout vids set the amp to sound great with one guitar and play all the guitars without adjusting. The amp in this vid is no exception. It sounds great for the strat and the Les Paul suffers. If you set up so the les Paul sounds good, the strat would sound like an ice pick to the ear. Set the amp to match each guitar just like you would if you weren’t doing a shootout.

[@JamesWilliams-ki7im]

Great point!

[@Nikita13337]

that's strange, when hearing them side by side with headphones on humbuckers sound as if i plug my ears or somthing

[@thecompanioncube4211]

That's essentially the "compressed" sound. He mentions it while describing the Humbucker

[@savealta]

You have effectively armed people with what they need to look for to get the sound they want. Adding in how the pickups work differently was perfect and the tone comparison was spot on. This is by far the BEST video on this subject I have ever seen. Subscribed!

[@leighhorne2321]

I am a newbe who started out as a drummer and I found this video very informative. Playing with various guitarists made me like various tones and I never knew the reasons for their having multiple guitars till now. This helped me in my search for the right one foe me.

[@Havefaithfriend]

I'm building a super squire strat right now with humbuckers and I'm super excited to play it.

[@aydenburris8631]

Hope it comes out great

[@Alkize06]

Brett Maher have you built your guitar?

[@skyfoxofchaos9517]

Well im trying to upgrade to a Epiphone or Gibson SG which i think come standard with humbuckers but i could be wrong.

[@Havefaithfriend]

Alkize06 -_- it turned out a lot like a fender double fat strat, it plays super well! I literally haven’t used a pedal sense I finished cause it just does what I want👌

[@______jsh______]

Very very very informative/educational video about this awesome topic! Thank you for this! I now finally understand the difference! Thanks! 😊👌

[@osmarkeiroz7304]

Single coil = Light Crystal sound. Humbucker Heavy muddy sound.

[@electroplanetengineer860]

I feel the same..

[@RumbleFish69]

I mostly play blues, so I find that gritty humbucker sound quite useful. Of all my guitars, my Gretsch is the most used, but I do have an American Fender HSS Strat, which has two single pick-ups and one dual pick-up. I can switch between single or dual, but even with my Stratocaster, I find that I use mostly use the dual pick-up setting. In the end, if you're running it all through a pedalboard, then I don't think any of this matters too much. If you find the sound you like, then more power to you! It's all subjective anyway.

[@a.b.__iii]

Yup single coil way too bright for blues.

[@geargemelendrops7279]

This comment was helpful. Im about to buy an hss strat and this comment just sealed the deal for me

[@RumbleFish69]

@@geargemelendrops7279 Glad my comment helped. You'll love the guitar. I've been playing it a lot lately and I'm now running it through my Marshall Code 100 amp. If know anything about this amp, then you'll know its a beast. No pedals needed, just plug right in and play! It's almost as if this particular amp was made for an HSS strat.

[@Skullcandy490]

@@RumbleFish69 I just bought my first gretsch a few days ago, upgraded from a lower quality Ibanez with lace pick ups I got put in ( really only useful for metal) and I'm really loving the gretsch. :) it's really getting me into more jazzy licks

[@RumbleFish69]

Yes, Gretsch guitars will do that! I have an Electromatic and it's so comfortable to play that it improved my jazz and blues playing significantly. This guitar is super fun to play and will be hard to put down for the first few months! Enjoy your Gretsch, my friend!

[@morningreis5018]

This is the first time I've heard an explanation between the two that actually made sense. Thank you.

[@rickdb8480]

I like the single coil sound better

[@a.b.__iii]

Les Paul standard should change your mind 😁🎸

[@dadamike6058]

Quite possibly the best informational video on KZbin ever. Thank you.

[@openmarkand]

Humbuckers sound like you've put a carpet on a speaker, if you get the idea.

[@iridios6127]

+David Demelier This dude mess up with knobs on Les Paul. (no offense) )) The guitar is ok . (despite i hate Gibson more than Fender)

[@Аноним-щ3н]

no, they don't

[@fatihrime]

Sound like you put your speaker in water

[@Аноним-щ3н]

@@fatihrime no, they don't sound like it, you liar

[@fatihrime]

@@Аноним-щ3н :) why you mad?

[@bambostarla6259]

I love hearing single coils on recordings and videos. But when I'm playing them no. Humbuckers for life :)

[@danielhartman5086]

Chris you really do a great job with comparing guitars in detail. I love to watch you do Acoustic comparison. You just have a way of explaining the differences on guitars. Keep up the great work.

[@AlamoMusic]

I appreciate that!

[@bfuller9]

Thank you! This was the perfect tutorial on pickups for a knucklehead like me. Really well done.

[@baklap141]

Cant say one is bettter then the other , the single coils sound a bit more clear while the humbuckers are really great when playing chords and such. It just depends a little on what you are playing and what kind of mood you try to create. Im thinking about to change one of my guitars to humbucker style , bought a new single coil pick up guitar a while ago and did some mods to it and now I really like that one. The old one needs some work to shine , I have the humbucker pickups already so all I need to do is some soldering and cleaning up....its nice to have both styles of guitars I think.

[@haymondongo]

Mate, this is the first time someone puts it clear. Thank you. Your explanation is fire!

[@magalhaes753951]

Or buy a guitar with both, HSS... problem solved xD

[@agungwayne3090]

That’s gay.

[@magalhaes753951]

@@agungwayne3090 I am a Stratocaster guy, so I like more the SSS configuration... but for a beginner HSS is better because you can do almost everything xD

[@eric_t123]

@@agungwayne3090 na. Having only one kind of pickup is gay. The exact same pickups next together is like the exact same gender next together

[@3001jl]

I have Sss and Hss. :)

[@agungwayne3090]

redhairedjl That means you’re gay.

[@1994superliar]

Did not do the humbucker justice by leaving out it on a distortion and high gain setting. As a fender telecaster player, i often feel the thin and crisp sound not as fitting as the humbuck player in my band. But i love both :) nice comparison

[@brotothewilliams9890]

Yea single coil is more for songs that use single string playing and humbuckers are for power chord playing bassically

[@dmvconartists2542]

Well get a tele deluxe or a 72 custom!! (Or mod ur tele)

[@paoloantonio1531]

Thank you for this video. Straight to important points, no BS, just spot on. I learned a lot

[@stelthy100]

I prefer the the sound of both it just depends on what your playing.

[@TailsMiles249]

Super specific: Anyone with the SponsorBlock extension on your browser and just skipped to the highlight, I encourage you to watch the whole video (even at least an increased speed since I would too). It's one thing to just hear the difference (which, you can hear at the highlight point) but it's another to _understand_ the sound for what genre you're going for.

[@autraumaton]

thank you for this!

[@barbaramontserratcampero236]

You are so dedicated. Thank you so much 🌟

[@derekthegreatgonzo]

i'll take the single pick ups every day and twice on sunday.

[@Shackleford96]

Thanks for the clarification. I love the look of open coil humbuckers, but previously didn't know how to describe what those were. My next guitar will have this style.

[@amanvats6211]

What about guitars with HSS configuration?

[@worldeconomicforum7210]

I came here looking for basic humbucker info....now I'm a Pick ups connoisseur...I will also start my new job at guitar center tomorrow. They were impressed.

[@ghostfromshadow9794]

This video had a lot useful information for me before buying my first guitar Thank you very much!

[@topkat48]

Thanks for the comparison. A brief educational experience.

[@caralho5237]

It really took a lot to get to the test, but every bit of information you passed was useful and interesting, amazing video.

[@chrisholbourn2793]

What a fantastic video!! Exactly the description I was looking for!! Thanks SO much for sharing your knowledge with us.

[@gaztuber]

Very informative. Good explanations of how it works and why it's important.

[@alfredohernandezlara3848]

Wow! Great video! I really had this romantic impression that humbuckers would make me sound "better".

[@damascus-ut1ee]

It should be noted most modern gibsons actually use 300k linear taper pots. Now some use 500k audio taper which were correct for almost any old Gibson. The thing about tapping a single coil has to do with power too. Lets say a nice vintage wind humbucker is 8k or 9k ohms. Vintage Single coils are usually 6k to 7k. Now if you tap the humbucker in half, you're likely to get a much weaker tone than a single coil being that the tapped coil is now at 4k to 4.5k ohms (half of the humbucker 8k or 9k) which is much less than the single coil. so the weaker resistance and higher pot value usually makes a very bright and unconvincing sound to my ears. the single coil in its entirety sounds sweeter than a tapped "vintage" humbucker. Now if you have a 13k or 14k humbucker split it will have a similar ohm value to the single coil, but there are other factors such as resonant frequency and overall construction of the coils that make it sound different. The best lead sounds I've heard are from old PAT no. Humbuckers or slightly overwound single coils. (Particularly the bridge pickup wired to the tone control instead of the middle pickup, and tone rolled off a little ala Eric Johnson. It can have clear, very resonant, and liquid like tones with warmth if done right).

[@lordmiko1982]

I love Both for different kind of music. They are completly different that's the beauty in it.

[@juicy1219]

You just made physics cool

[@friasrod]

juicy1219 agree!

[@JatinMehta1]

The only video you need to understand this. Nicely explained.

[@sidv1993]

This is super helpful! Is the demo at 9:48 from a longer song/piece?

[@Draiver165]

That strato tone... jesus! :D

[@mikea683]

180 flat-earthers clicked dislike when they got to the bit where he said "earths magnetism"

[@QuantumLeap89]

Pretty cool that google links you to this video. Good job!

[@alandoolan337]

Excellent review. Excellent delivery too thanks man

[@Chris-P]

Just hearing that beautiful strum of a les Paul instantly brings me to led zeppelin. Edit: humbuckers sound even better on an old style tube amp.

[@shehansomaweera114]

Now I know what to buy. Thank you so much..! I'll definitely try towards humbuckers

[@hansopdelaak]

Hi Chris, thanks for this great comparison! I consider buying a new guitar since I revived playing guitar again recently (at age of 58 I still got my Morris "Fender telecaster" replica with humbuckers, made in Japan, which I bought when I was 16 -only used to "playing" along with the Sex Pistols for a few months - and recently unpacked again after 42 years in storage, still sounding....punk ;-). Might opt for single coil after watching your YT video!

[@AlamoMusic]

Awesome! Let us know if you need help picking one out!

[@hansopdelaak]

@@AlamoMusic Hi Chris. Since I am still a rookie gitarist I purchased a Harley Benton guitar with P90 pickups (dirt cheap but great value for money and great reviews: at Thomann Germany). Unbelievable great sound, much different compared to humbuckers! Such clear and vibrant tones, love it. Thanks again for your comparison!

[@marcellofreitas7356]

I have both a strat, a Les Paul and an archtop. I like all of them the way they are.

[@tkviewing4029]

I'd love to see neodymium magnets used in building a custom guitar

[@sealisa1398]

Very interesting and all of this is basic electro acoustics. Studying the auditory system and how all of these “sounds” get interpreted will blow your mind. Thanks you!

[@gregorymichael9031]

Great informational video! I subbed because of how informative this was! This answered almost all of the questions I had on this topic!

[@TrevorColePAN]

That was very educational for me since I’m new at playing guitar 🎸 thanks

[@OldCowboySongs525]

Thanks for explaining that, that was really educational for me.

[@donvnarr]

I saw an American Strat (Performer) set up with Humbucking pickups. Sort of a bright Les Paul sound.

[@jeneytamas48]

Thank you for this great video!

[@TiberiusStorm]

They buck the hum. Of course now it makes so much sense!

[@Gaming4871]

Thank God I picked up a Strat as my first electric guitar.

[@angrymoose3383]

Singles for rock and metal, they give ya that hot aggressive sharp sound and humbuckers for everything else- nothing quite like that warm, rolled off humbucker sound

[@johnnyboston8092]

We all know Les Paul and Strat Teli SMOKE in there way. Love that

[@SidLaw500]

Excellent explanation!

[@aaronanimatessorta.3676]

The Humbucker pickups sound better in my opinion.

[@KalebHD]

Aaron is a name that I own no one else has it samme

[@icsasziii]

Hmm...learnt surprisingly lot in 12 mins...maybe cause English is not my first language, but it never hit me why a humbucker is called a humbucker.... Now I was like “duuuh....hum-bucker” :D Good vid!

[@qwerty6789x]

option 3, who wouldn't buy both? *wink*

[@maverickinaldo4330]

In short Single: Water Humbucker: Beer

[@davidakulian]

Thank you for the comparison! I remembered my strat sound. :)

[@Knapweed]

I enjoyed your guitar playing so much, I forgot what I was listening for. lol

[@lomoholga]

They don’t pickup the vibrations in the strings. Pickups work by the string vibration changing the magnetic field that surrounds the pickup. The change in the magnetic field is converted to an electrical current. It is not microphonic.

[@fabianarturorodriguezsobal3815]

But why if I hit the pickup I can hear the sound as it was a microphone?

[@LinusFeynstein]

That's a pretty good explanatory video. Thanks. I will try to understand the electromagnetism

[@7777srd]

Excellent explanation. Made me suscribe.

[@frigglediggle2]

In what style would you typically want a humbucker les paul as opposed to a single coil guitar? Are les pauls better suited for high gain? Like rock, blues metal??

[@lukeschiltz9688]

2:09 He’s calling out Darrell Braun Guitars haha

[@dbstrat7300]

It looks like you engaged the coil tap for the Les Paul. That kind of defeats the purpose of a comparison of tones between single coil and humbucker.

[@royalarmy1837]

The tone of the Gibson Strat is much better than Fender LP.

[@dmvconartists2542]

I prefer the single coil when its coil tapped to be a humbucker😉

[@cheath8705]

Nice word play.

[@శతకహేమముఆటవెలఁది]

Incredible comparison and amazing playing.

[@anantaacharya3019]

what a fantastic explanation of strings vibration property as if a science professor, so beautifully presented , really enjoyed it

[@randomdude6136]

Great explanation! Keep up the work!

[@tomas-wi8dy]

I'm a broadtron humbucker (gretsch guitar) pickup fun. Love it in clean, gain, distortion mood

[@chrisarias4055]

Damn dude you can you know your stuff

[@enricosaccheggiani3192]

Thanks a lot, a very complete explanation . Excellent video

[@jamesurtekar1657]

Excellent teaching points and very simplified - thank you!

[@asathoor777]

Interesting comparison between the types of pickups

[@rolandluth2098]

very informative, thank you

[@Nizodizo]

Good video. What model Stratocaster is that.

[@matthewholme297]

I love the natural organic tone of single coils

[@a.b.__iii]

It's also the high end amp 😁

[@Arfonfree]

I just bought an SSS Strat; I already had an SSH Strat. Comparing the SSS bridge pickup to the SSH Strat with the coil split (I added the circuit for that) ... is a challenge. And for sure, any difference is easily made up in the amp settings. I just wish I could play better.

[@5uru594]

I’m confused, bobbin? Like the thing you put in a sewing machine?

[@yboy898]

Bobbin is like a pole. A metal pole that is wrapped with wires/coils. Just like you said, its like a thing you put on a sewing machine. Hope this resolved your confusion.

[@MGMMirage2000]

I don't understand. Humbucker pickups sound heavier and more rich right? But if you want that thicker sound, cant you just use the single coil neck pickup on a Strat?

[@anond2015]

Not if you want REALLY fat, hot output. Humbuckers are unmatched for high gain stuff.

[@victorperkins2625]

Just think of single coils as crispy and clean and chimy and humbuckers are warm and heavy and PHAT And yes you could use the neck pickup and it will be thicker, but that “thicker” doesnt compare to a humbucker at neck pickup. Now thats thiccc

[@sallgoodman2323]

Thanks for the info on the difference between the two

[@vishmm895]

I've checked out many videos on youtube about this topic and this is the first video that very clearly demonstrated the difference both theoretically and practically and where I could really tell a difference. Can I ask what amp you were using ?

[@jomanitaralde6722]

I wish I have a same guitar brand like yours

[@summitsparrow]

To me the Les Paul is a much warmer, richer sound. Given that most people won't know the difference, I'd totally go with the Les Paul and have that versatility if I need it. I'm sure there are die hard single coil people out there who swear by their Strats but every guitar player is different.

[@joee1213]

2:44 “how many rats are around the pickup matter.” So true. The more rats, the more chance you’ll have of one of them chewing through your wiring. 🐀

[@sixfoursoul2538]

Single coils give you more versatility for a larger range of musics.

[@braydenheidrich3730]

Music_360 ehhhh

[@colewalton1340]

I disagree. Single coils with distortion sound like ass.

[@sixfoursoul2538]

@@colewalton1340 newsflash MOST styles of music do not utilize heavy distortion.. R&B Funk jazz bluegrass blues even blues rock ( Stevie Ray and Hendricks and many others use single coils) ..including counrty.. Now list all the 2 types of musics that entail heavy distortion... Hard Rock and metal.mainly yes you can play other styles of musics with humbuckers they are primarily made to handle High gain.... so back to the truth of the question single coils are more versatile a wider range of music... just because that wider range of Music isn't necessarily your type of music doesn't change the fact single coils are more versatile and you have much better tone options.. just not heavy distortion.. that's why you need more than one guitar in Your Arsenal

[@sixfoursoul2538]

@@colewalton1340 Single coils DO give you more versatility of tone for a larger range of musics. County, Blues , Hard blues, ( Hendrix SRV , Funk soul. blue grass. R&B lots of jazz fusion.. and yes even alot of rock... Its actually a pretty known fact ..lol But if you want hard rock / metal you would want humbuckers for the heavy distortion with out the hum. however single coils give you more versatility for a larger range of musics. just because you dont play those types of music and prefer heavy distortion doesn't change the facts & sorry I dont know what your ass sounds like.

[@colewalton1340]

@@sixfoursoul2538 I'm aware of that. That's why I have an HSS strat.

[@sethbishop6890]

Man the neck on that Les Paul looks so comfortable to play with. I don't like how the fender has a bevel or a curved neck, I want it to be more like an acoustic neck but still have he length and reach of an electric. But I'm too broke to be that picky unfortunately. An I'm also not skilled enough to talk shit about either one.

[@brCharlieNagy]

Excellent deep explanation :-)

[@fretmeister8935]

Great clear, interesting video giving good info. Thank you.